The Ella Risk School, is a very interesting school. Some will point out that the school is not a top performer when compared to the rest of the state, but it is important to note that it is also not worst performer. Throughout the following report, I will discuss many aspects surrounding the Ella Risk School, Central Falls community, and the district of Central Falls. There are many positives about this community, but of course where there are positives there are also some negatives. The information provided will show you that despite some questionable academic scores, the school fosters an environment where student’s teachers and parents all work together. This report can be used as a tool to help anyone interested in this area or this school, make educated decisions using well rounded and substantiated information.
The Ella Risk School has a student to teacher ratio of 11:1. That kind of ratio is evidence of an above average amount of interaction with each student from the teacher. According to students who took the statewide SALT survey (School Accountability of Learning and Teaching) the children in Ella Risk School have a lower percentage of health than the state of Rhode Island. The students at Ella Risk School are more open with their teachers when it came to personal issues, but when it came to academics, students were less likely to talk to their teachers than other schools in Rhode Island. In the SALT survey, Ella Risk School was lower percentage-wise than the state of Rhode Island when it came to getting along with teachers, being robbed in school, and the amount of times students were offered drugs. The results did show that the children from Central Falls were bullied and teased more by other children than the states average. (School Reports, Infoworks.ride.uri.edu, 2007)
As of right now, Ella Risk School has a pretty good parental involvement rate. It had a pretty dramatic change in percentage between the 2003-2006 school years. In the 2003-2004 school year, the parental involvement rate was steadily above the average for Rhode Island, with about 65% (School Reports, infoworks.ride.uri.edu, 2007). Then, in the 2004-2005 school year, the rate dropped dramatically to an astonishing 37%. The next school year, 2005-2006, the parental involvement spiked back up to a steady 61%. Compared to the 90% of Rhode Island parents who think that the community supports the schools, only 82% of the parents in Central Falls think that their community supports the school district. (School Reports, infoworks.ride.uri.edu, 2007). When looking on the school website, there seems to be no extra curricular activities presented to the public (School Reports, Infoworks.ride.uri.edu, 2007). This is not believable because all schools have to have some type of activities for their children. I am guessing that statistics wise, Ella Risk does not have enough participants in their programs.
The school is ethnically and culturally diverse because it has a 64% Hispanic population, 16% African American, 1% Native American, and 19% white race in Ella Risk. In the district of Central Falls, there is a 24 percentage of ESL (English as a Second Language) in the school. 37% of all teachers in Central Falls report that they feel as if lack of training is a major problem for their schools (District Reports, infoworks.ride.uri.edu, 2007). They probably feel as if they do not have the proper training for teaching ESL students and don’t know how to go about teaching them the English language. In Central Falls, only 6,145 people speak English only. There is a 36% of the population that speak less than adequate English. Compared to the state of Rhode Island, which has a percentage of 8%, this is a lot of people who don’t speak English very well.
Compared to the other schools in this district, Ella Risk School averaged about 19.5 suspensions per 100 students. Other elementary schools in this district averaged about 11.9, and the states low average was a shocking 4.1. (School Reports, Infoworks.ride.uri.edu, 2007) About 59% of the teachers who participated in the SALT survey stated that they felt as if they had a major part in the disciplining of their students. Most teachers, about 79%, stated that they felt very satisfied with the opportunities that they have in the decision making process with their school and students. (School Reports, infoworks.ride.uri.edu, 2007)
Out of all of the families, 64% speak another language, and 21% live with their mothers only. The population is made up of 57.2% white, .6% Native American, .7% Asian, .3% are Native Hawaiian, and 28.4% are another race. The median age of the town of Central Falls is 30 years old, out of a population of 18,928 people. Only 5.7% of the community has a bachelor’s degree or higher. This percentage is a lot lower than the state of Rhode Island.
The community of Central Falls is mostly made up of small houses with 3 to 5 rooms. Most households have to share one car between the whole family, and the average family has a median income of $22,628. This is quite low compared to the states average, which is $50,046. There is a 25.9% poverty level in Central Falls. “At the time of the 2000 census, the per capita income in Central Falls was $10,825, compared with $21,587 nationally.” (Central Falls City Profile, http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=13421, 2007). This community, in both studies (500+ population and 5000+ population) for Rhode Island most violent cities, was third on both lists in 2001. Others on this list included Cranston, and the two most violent cities: Providence and Newport. (American Fact Finder, 2007)
Ella Risk School has about $8,200 per year from the government and from taxes from the residents. This is considerably low compared to the average state funding which is around $9,550. On each student, the district spends the money on expenditures such as tuition, transportation, and other benefits. (American Fact Finder, 2007).
Central Falls has buses that transport the students to and from school each day. (American Fact Finder, 2007) The parents are allowed to bring their children in before school starts, but it is frowned upon because school does not open until 8:15, and the school playground is unsupervised (Ella Risk School, http://www.cfschools.net/schools/ri/webpage/index.htm, 2007). There are no teachers who are there to watch the children play on the playground, and there are no before school or after school programs to keep the children entertained or out of trouble. (Central Falls School District, 2007)
There are about 3,520 students in the district of Central Falls, and about 5,041 kids enrolled in all grades from nursery school to grad school. 3,160 people in Central Falls graduated with a high school degree while 3,003 students did not complete high school. There are 113 students in the vocational classes (American Fact Finder, 2007), which “prepares learners for careers that are based in manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic and totally related to a specific trade or occupation” (Wikipedia, 2007). The district funds $1,328 for the students and classes, which is lower than the $1,823 state average fund for vocational classes. The number of students receiving special education support programs, whether it is in a public school, home schooled, hospitalized kids, and students educated in separate schools is 957. (American Fact Finder, 2007) The No Child Left Behind report card for Ella Risk is unsatisfactory. This school only met 22 out of the 29 evaluated targets. Only 49.1% of all residents in Central Falls graduated high school.
To graduate from high school, students must complete all 4 years of high school. They must complete 3 full-credits of science, and 4 full-credits of English and math. They must also have full-credits in language arts and other random credits, such as a language. The teaching qualifications are as followed: They need a Certificate of Eligibility for Employment (CEE), Bachelor's Degree from an accredited or an approved institution of higher education, and a graduate of an approved program for the preparation of elementary school teachers, and a professional certificate. (Certificate Requirements, 2007)
All in all, Ella Risk School is behind other elementary schools in their district, and are not meeting the standards for the No Child Left Behind reports. Ella Risk School is in need of some improvement with their school. There are no extra curricular activities for the children to do, or an after school program. There is mostly a younger crowd that runs through Central Falls, with an average age of 30. Children tend to be bullied more and has a high suspension rate. There are mostly negatives about this district but on the plus side, the parental involvement of the Central Falls district is above Rhode Island's average, and the students have a pretty good relationship with their teachers. Central Falls would be a dangerous place to live, but a livable in if you could not afford to live somewhere else.
The Community, District, and School of Ella Risk.
The Ella Risk School, is a very interesting school. Some will point out that the school is not a top performer when compared to the rest of the state, but it is important to note that it is also not worst performer. Throughout the following report, I will discuss many aspects surrounding the Ella Risk School, Central Falls community, and the district of Central Falls. There are many positives about this community, but of course where there are positives there are also some negatives. The information provided will show you that despite some questionable academic scores, the school fosters an environment where student’s teachers and parents all work together. This report can be used as a tool to help anyone interested in this area or this school, make educated decisions using well rounded and substantiated information.
The Ella Risk School has a student to teacher ratio of 11:1. That kind of ratio is evidence of an above average amount of interaction with each student from the teacher. According to students who took the statewide SALT survey (School Accountability of Learning and Teaching) the children in Ella Risk School have a lower percentage of health than the state of Rhode Island. The students at Ella Risk School are more open with their teachers when it came to personal issues, but when it came to academics, students were less likely to talk to their teachers than other schools in Rhode Island. In the SALT survey, Ella Risk School was lower percentage-wise than the state of Rhode Island when it came to getting along with teachers, being robbed in school, and the amount of times students were offered drugs. The results did show that the children from Central Falls were bullied and teased more by other children than the states average. (School Reports, Infoworks.ride.uri.edu, 2007)
As of right now, Ella Risk School has a pretty good parental involvement rate. It had a pretty dramatic change in percentage between the 2003-2006 school years. In the 2003-2004 school year, the parental involvement rate was steadily above the average for Rhode Island, with about 65% (School Reports, infoworks.ride.uri.edu, 2007). Then, in the 2004-2005 school year, the rate dropped dramatically to an astonishing 37%. The next school year, 2005-2006, the parental involvement spiked back up to a steady 61%. Compared to the 90% of Rhode Island parents who think that the community supports the schools, only 82% of the parents in Central Falls think that their community supports the school district. (School Reports, infoworks.ride.uri.edu, 2007). When looking on the school website, there seems to be no extra curricular activities presented to the public (School Reports, Infoworks.ride.uri.edu, 2007). This is not believable because all schools have to have some type of activities for their children. I am guessing that statistics wise, Ella Risk does not have enough participants in their programs.
The school is ethnically and culturally diverse because it has a 64% Hispanic population, 16% African American, 1% Native American, and 19% white race in Ella Risk. In the district of Central Falls, there is a 24 percentage of ESL (English as a Second Language) in the school. 37% of all teachers in Central Falls report that they feel as if lack of training is a major problem for their schools (District Reports, infoworks.ride.uri.edu, 2007). They probably feel as if they do not have the proper training for teaching ESL students and don’t know how to go about teaching them the English language. In Central Falls, only 6,145 people speak English only. There is a 36% of the population that speak less than adequate English. Compared to the state of Rhode Island, which has a percentage of 8%, this is a lot of people who don’t speak English very well.
Compared to the other schools in this district, Ella Risk School averaged about 19.5 suspensions per 100 students. Other elementary schools in this district averaged about 11.9, and the states low average was a shocking 4.1. (School Reports, Infoworks.ride.uri.edu, 2007) About 59% of the teachers who participated in the SALT survey stated that they felt as if they had a major part in the disciplining of their students. Most teachers, about 79%, stated that they felt very satisfied with the opportunities that they have in the decision making process with their school and students. (School Reports, infoworks.ride.uri.edu, 2007)
Out of all of the families, 64% speak another language, and 21% live with their mothers only. The population is made up of 57.2% white, .6% Native American, .7% Asian, .3% are Native Hawaiian, and 28.4% are another race. The median age of the town of Central Falls is 30 years old, out of a population of 18,928 people. Only 5.7% of the community has a bachelor’s degree or higher. This percentage is a lot lower than the state of Rhode Island.
The community of Central Falls is mostly made up of small houses with 3 to 5 rooms. Most households have to share one car between the whole family, and the average family has a median income of $22,628. This is quite low compared to the states average, which is $50,046. There is a 25.9% poverty level in Central Falls. “At the time of the 2000 census, the per capita income in Central Falls was $10,825, compared with $21,587 nationally.” (Central Falls City Profile, http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=13421, 2007). This community, in both studies (500+ population and 5000+ population) for Rhode Island most violent cities, was third on both lists in 2001. Others on this list included Cranston, and the two most violent cities: Providence and Newport. (American Fact Finder, 2007)
Ella Risk School has about $8,200 per year from the government and from taxes from the residents. This is considerably low compared to the average state funding which is around $9,550. On each student, the district spends the money on expenditures such as tuition, transportation, and other benefits. (American Fact Finder, 2007).
Central Falls has buses that transport the students to and from school each day. (American Fact Finder, 2007) The parents are allowed to bring their children in before school starts, but it is frowned upon because school does not open until 8:15, and the school playground is unsupervised (Ella Risk School, http://www.cfschools.net/schools/ri/webpage/index.htm, 2007). There are no teachers who are there to watch the children play on the playground, and there are no before school or after school programs to keep the children entertained or out of trouble. (Central Falls School District, 2007)
There are about 3,520 students in the district of Central Falls, and about 5,041 kids enrolled in all grades from nursery school to grad school. 3,160 people in Central Falls graduated with a high school degree while 3,003 students did not complete high school. There are 113 students in the vocational classes (American Fact Finder, 2007), which “prepares learners for careers that are based in manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic and totally related to a specific trade or occupation” (Wikipedia, 2007). The district funds $1,328 for the students and classes, which is lower than the $1,823 state average fund for vocational classes. The number of students receiving special education support programs, whether it is in a public school, home schooled, hospitalized kids, and students educated in separate schools is 957. (American Fact Finder, 2007) The No Child Left Behind report card for Ella Risk is unsatisfactory. This school only met 22 out of the 29 evaluated targets. Only 49.1% of all residents in Central Falls graduated high school.
To graduate from high school, students must complete all 4 years of high school. They must complete 3 full-credits of science, and 4 full-credits of English and math. They must also have full-credits in language arts and other random credits, such as a language. The teaching qualifications are as followed: They need a Certificate of Eligibility for Employment (CEE), Bachelor's Degree from an accredited or an approved institution of higher education, and a graduate of an approved program for the preparation of elementary school teachers, and a professional certificate. (Certificate Requirements, 2007)
All in all, Ella Risk School is behind other elementary schools in their district, and are not meeting the standards for the No Child Left Behind reports. Ella Risk School is in need of some improvement with their school. There are no extra curricular activities for the children to do, or an after school program. There is mostly a younger crowd that runs through Central Falls, with an average age of 30. Children tend to be bullied more and has a high suspension rate. There are mostly negatives about this district but on the plus side, the parental involvement of the Central Falls district is above Rhode Island's average, and the students have a pretty good relationship with their teachers. Central Falls would be a dangerous place to live, but a livable in if you could not afford to live somewhere else.
References:
"Certificate Requirements." Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. 9 Oct 2007 <http://www.ridoe.net/EducatorQuality/Certification/Certreqs.aspx>.
"Home." Central Falls School District. 9 Oct 2007 <http://www.cfschools.net/schools/ri/webpage/index.htm>.
"Information Works: Rhode Island Public Schools 2007 : District Reports." Information Works: Rhode Island Public Schools 2007. 9 Oct 2007 <http://infoworks.ride.uri.edu/2007/queries/FindDist.asp?District=04>.
"Information Works: Rhode Island Public Schools 2007 : School Reports." Information Works: Rhode Island Public Schools 2007. 9 Oct 2007 <http://infoworks.ride.uri.edu/2007/queries/FindSch.asp?ID=04101>.
"Rhode Island - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder." American FactFinder. 9 Oct 2007 http://factfinder.census.gov.
"Rhode Island 2001 Violent Crime Rate." IDcide - Local Information Data Server. 9 Oct 2007 <http://www.idcide.com/lists/ri/on-population-2001-violent-crime-rate.htm>.
Subject. "Vocational education - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Main Page - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 17 Oct 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocational_education>
Rachel M
CR EVAL - VICTORIA W